


nothing burns (like my love for you)

by tylerscreamingintothevoid



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic, Firewatch (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Firewatch, Alternate Universe - Firewatch Fusion, Andrew is Stubborn, Arson, Description of Corpse (kinda graphic but literally only a sentence or two), Falling In Love, Firewatch au, Fox Death, Inspired by Firewatch (Video Game), M/M, Minor Character Death, Miscommunication, Nathan obviously, Neil has Secrets, Neil is Stubborn, Palmetto State National Park, Reverse Big Bang Challenge, Running Away, Soft Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Wilderness, Wilderness Survival, corpse, nothing graphic though, serial killer character
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-08
Updated: 2019-03-18
Packaged: 2019-11-13 03:05:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,946
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18023582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/tylerscreamingintothevoid/pseuds/tylerscreamingintothevoid
Summary: Andrew Minyard thought that taking a job in the Palmetto State National Park for the summer would give him an easy couple of months, relaxing on his own and surviving in the wilderness.Not in a million years could he have anticipated meeting Neil Josten, or what happened after.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> incest supporters, don't interact

Andrew Minyard had no friends.  
  
It didn't displease him. He didn't like people, and people didn't like him. It was an unspoken mutual agreement.  
  
Once, he had people to trust- people he could have shared secrets with, but those bonds had been disrespected and broken.  
  
Okay, maybe he was being dramatic. But if he was, Andrew never cared. He was just being _realistic_ , really. If people were just going to fuck him over, and over, and over again, he might as well not even give them the chance.  
  
The evening sun was bright and hot, and sweat dripped down Andrew's forehead as he trudged up the rocky hill. His gaze lingered on the movements in the trees, and he heard birds whistling. He hopped a fallen trunk and huffed when he landed.  
  
This had had to be the longest, most disgusting thing he'd ever done. Andrew _hated_ the outdoors, so why he had signed up to stay all on his own in the wilderness-  
  
Yeah, because people suck.  
  
Right.  
  
A signpost caught the corner of Andrew's eye.  
  
_Two Forks Lookout  
20 Miles_  
  
He groaned and tightened the straps on his rucksack.  
  
Two Forks Lookout was a sturdy white lookout post, stairs wrapping around the poles up to the building. Andrew glared at the seemingly unending stairs, before continuing along the final stretch of his trek.  
  
He climbed, hand gliding along the handrail until he reached the white wooden door. He looked through the glass, raising an eyebrow.  
  
Andrew saw the desk against it, a radio receiver in its nook, and a pencil holder with a sparse few pencils. There were some assorted books inside, and a large contraption in the center of the room. He entered, clicked the door closed behind him.  
  
The silence was eerie, but that was okay. He'd come here for silence, after all.  
  
The bed was done, a grey blanket pulled tightly across it.  
  
"Cool."  
  
The silence was broken with a distorted cough, and Andrew's shoulders rose with the fright.

"Two Forks, report. Two Forks, report." A smooth, clear voice, masculine and- "Two Forks, I see you there. Pick up."  
  
Masculine and patient.  
  
Andrew reached for the receiver and clicked the button on the side. "Hi- hello. This is Two Forks."  
  
"Hi. This is Thorofare. Nice day, right?"  
  
"It's... a _day_ , I guess," mumbled Andrew, glancing around. "Where..."  
  
He spotted Thorofare Lookout, across the forest. He walked over to the window, crossing his other hand over his chest. The sun was going down, a gorgeous sunset hiding behind the mountains.  
  
"I see you."  
  
"Hi."  
  
The blond furrowed his brow and looked away. "Hi," he said, for what felt like the hundredth time. "Do I have to talk to you."  
  
"Every day? Well, no. No, no."  
  
"Good."  
  
"But I think we should."  
  
Andrew groaned, flopping down to the bed. "No."  
  
"Well, won't you get bored?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Lonely?"  
  
"No."  
  
Thorofare let out a light chuckle. "No," he mocked, " _I_ don't like fun. _I_ like to go to the forest and cry to myself."  
  
Andrew stifled his laugh. "Ding ding ding."  
  
"What's your name?"  
  
As the sky dimmed further, Andrew looked out to Thorofare. "Andrew."  
  
"Okay, Andy."  
  
"No. Not Andy."  
  
Thorofare hummed. "Okay. Andy?"  
  
"...Hm."  
  
"My name is Neil."  
  
Andrew scoffed. "I didn't ask."  
  
Neil scoffed right back. "I didn't say you did."  
  
"Okay, Neil, have you checked the time? I'm going to hang up now."  
  
"You're going to hang up? On a radio receiver? You sure?"  
  
Andrew reddened and glanced back to Neil's lookout. "Yes. Shut up."  
  
Neil sighed. "You really don't wanna talk, huh? Not even just a little idle chitchat to settle you in?"  
  
"I don't think you should expect anything of the sort."  
  
"Then, I'll tell you now that you shouldn't expect me to give up so easy."  
  
"Goodnight, Thorofare."  
  
"Goodnight, Two Forks."  
  
"Sleep tight. Don't let the bed bugs bite."  
  
Andrew flipped Neil off from his window, squinting at Thorofare lookout. He couldn't believe that even in the most remote job in the world, he would still have to deal with annoying people. Well, an annoying person.  
  
He tugged his jeans half off before lying down, too lazy to finish the job. He groaned and reached over to slot the receiver back where it belonged, and conked out soon after.  
  
The next morning Andrew was woken bright and early to the sound of music.  
  
Literally- somebody was singing 'The Hills Are Alive'. And no, he wasn't dreaming. He'd pinched himself twice to be sure.  
  
He had almost forgotten where he was. "Ah yes," he mused. "Big National Park, middle of nowhere, USA."  
  
He leaned up to the receiver, which seemed to be the source. He clicked the button and coughed. The singing stopped.  
  
"Oh, good morning!"  
  
"Good morning," mumbled Andrew, picking the receiver up and rubbing the sleep out of his eyes. "Were you... singing?"  
  
There was a pause, and Andrew could hear Neil pouring a cup of something- coffee, tea, orange juice?- before he got his response. "Absolutely not."  
  
"You weren't singing."  
  
"No. I don't know why you'd say something as absurd as that."  
  
"So the hills aren't alive with the sound of music?"  
  
Neil took his time and sipped his drink. "Nope."  
  
"Are you my alarm clock now?"  
  
"Oh, I mean, if you want me to be."  
  
"I really don't."  
  
"Then I'm not. I'm just a boy on the phone."  
  
"This isn't a phone."  
  
"Figure of speech!"  
  
Andrew rose to his feet, changing into fresh boxers and shorts, and stretched out. With a yawn, he set down the receiver and padded his way to the stove. What to eat?  
  
He'd been left eggs, waffles, and he'd brought with him several bags of Haribos, a whole tub of ice cream... which he had left in his rucksack overnight. _Fuck._  
  
He reached for the rucksack and pulled out the tub of Ben and Jerry's, wincing as he tucked it into the minifridge. He sighed at his now sticky bag.  
  
"Slight problem. My rucksack is compromised."  
  
"Sabotage?"  
  
Andrew was hissing at his past self as he emptied the rucksack then tossed it aside. "Sabotage, yep. Just me, myself and I. Any place I could pick up a new bag?"  
  
"There are caches about the place," offered Neil. "You could check for a spare backpack. Don't know where it'll get you though, those things are _old_."  
  
"Cool," said Andrew as he pulled on his heavy jacket. "Cool. Where?"  
  
"There should be a map on your desk."  
  
Andrew looked to the desk. Sure enough, there was a map, a side lamp holding it down. He cocked his head and tugged it out, looking it up and down.  
  
"Cool."  
  
"That your only vocabulary?"  
  
Andrew brought the receiver to his mouth and breathed into it. "Coooool."  
  
Neil chuckled. "Wow, you’re an actual child. Good luck in the wilderness."  
  
"I hope I get caught in a fucking rockslide."  
  
"Careful what you wish for."  
  
Andrew raised an eyebrow as he left the outpost. "Forest fire?"  
  
Neil gasped. "Whoa! Heresy! Absolute blasphemy- and you call yourself a lookout?"  
  
Andrew cracked a smile as he fastened the receiver to his belt, and headed down the hill in the sun.

 

* * *

  
  
Andrew folded the map up carefully, lining the edges up before shoving it into his back pocket. He wasn't sure what he'd need, but he didn't particularly care either. In the end, he settled on grabbing his radio, his phone, and one of the knives he had stashed in his bag.  
  
The wooden stairs creaked under him as he descended them, the sun glaring into his eyes and making him squint, bringing his hand up to cover then enough to see.  
  
He knew his way down the hill pretty easily, and he only stopped to look at the map for a moment before stowing it away again, setting off in the direction of one of the caches. It led him up into some rocks, and from there he could almost see over the whole valley. He could see streams of sunlight catching on the water of the nearby lake, scattering diamonds. Someone else might have called it beautiful, but Andrew just hummed and then turned away again.  
  
It wasn't long until his mood soured, though. Something glinted, in the corner of his vision, and he turned to see a crumpled up beer can.  
  
Soon after that, he saw a couple more of them.  
  
"For fuck sake..." he took out his radio and held the button down with his thumb. "Looks like _someone_ had a party."  
  
"Oh yeah? What's the sitch?"  
  
"Cans," grunted Andrew. "Loads of empty, crushed beer cans. Not only are they alcoholics, but they're dirty litterbugs too."  
  
"Bastards."  
  
A sideways glance had Andrew spotting two flannel shirts draped across a large rock, two pairs of jeans not far off. He wandered over and cocker his head, eyes dragging to the direction of the lake.  
  
Something hot pink lay on the path to the lake, and he went to investigate.  
  
He sighed. "Neil, we've got loose panties- I repeat, loose panties."  
  
"I'm sorry?"  
  
"Panties. And..."  
  
Andrew continued along the path to the edge of the lake, shaking his head. "Bras."  
  
"Skinny dippers?"  
  
Loud, obnoxious pop music seemed to emanate from the lake's edge. Andrew approached and sure enough, there were two figures a long way out in the water. "Correct. Any chance they could catch pneumonia?"  
  
Neil stifled a giggle at the suggestion. "Kind of dark, don't you think?"  
  
"No," replied Andrew honestly, hopping over a log to the sand. It sank under his shoes, and he trudged over to where the water lapped at the edge. "Hey!"  
  
The two figures glanced over, and one shrieked, covering herself. "Hey, creep! Get out of here!"  
  
Andrew cocked his head. The music was coming from a sturdy boom box that sat on a large beached rock. "This yours?” he called out. "And the beer, too?!"  
  
The girls flipped him the bird, Andrew squinting to even see them.  
  
"Brats."  
  
"Okay, Andrew, just... get them out of there, I guess."  
  
Andrew glared at the boom box, playing songs at least ten years old. He glanced to and from the girls, before letting a small smirk escape.  
  
He picked up the boom box, easily heaving it with one hand. "Hey, get the fuck out."  
  
_"Creep, put our stereo down!"_  
  
Andrew shook his head. "Learn your lesson, kids."  
  
He reached back, before tossing the stereo into the lake, leaving a loud splash in its wake.  
  
_"Asshole!"_  
  
"Yeah, whatever."  
  
Neil chuckled coyly over the receiver. "Dealt with?"  
  
"Dealt with. Now, the cache..."  
  
"Hmm... along that path by the lake, no? In a smaller clearing? Check your-"  
  
"I remember the map."  
  
His above-above-average memory did come in handy sometimes. He jogged along the path, occasionally glancing back to the girls, and eventually, he came across the clearing with a thick tree rooted in the center. A crate sat next to it, with the insignia of the forest’s fire watch. He approached it, leaning down and tugging at the lid.  
  
It didn't budge.  
  
"Neil..."  
  
"One, two, three, four."  
  
Andrew glared at the number lock. "You're joking."  
  
"It's _easy to remember!_ "  
  
The blond put the numbers in. "It's barely a password."  
  
He swung the case open and inspected the contents. A map, detailing the northern walks and the way to get to Thorofare, as well as the location of the next cache site.  
  
"Cool. I'm just gonna take a bit of a walk."  
  
"Okay-"  
  
"Alone," grumbled Andrew. "If that's okay with you, mom?"  
  
"Not a problem, soldier."  
  
Andrew picked up the backpack and hooked it over his shoulder, keeping a grip on the strap as he closed the cache again. No point locking it, if it was empty.  
  
He set off to walk around, then, enjoying the silence, only disturbed by the sounds of distant nature. It was peaceful, and if there was one thing that Andrew had needed in his life if was peace.  
  
It was easy enough to lose himself in exploring, and he hardly noticed when the sun started to set, casting an orange glow onto everything it rested on.  
  
"Oh, it's sunset." He sighed, and then took out his radio, pressing down the button. "Did I miss anything?"  
  
"Don't think so, darling. Aw, ain't it beautiful though?"  
  
The time had crept up on him, and Andrew knew that he'd have to start trekking soon to get back to Two Forks. He started to make his way back, making sure to keep an eye on his surroundings. “I’d been hoping that the forest had burned down in my absence."  
  
"I'd been hoping so too. Get you actually motivated, for once."  
  
Andrew hopped a few ledges until he reached an outlook point, with another few cache boxes. One was labeled Thorofare, another Two Forks, and another, Nest.  
  
He flipped them open, to find empty plastic bags. "Ugh, these caches are _useless_."  
  
He closed them again and then continued, following the path back to his own station. "What did you find?"  
  
Andrew next came across a small gap, rocks that had cracked and fallen, a log lying across it as a makeshift bridge. "Fuck all. Plastic bags, and that’s it."  
  
"Oh, that must have been the food drop off. Yours has already been picked up by... well, _me_.”  
  
Andrew wobbled as he balanced himself and walked across the log. He glanced upwards to avoid his fear of heights when something caught his eye. From a low hanging branch was an empty orange rucksack.  
  
"Andrew?"  
  
Neil's voice caught Andrew off guard, and he wobbles further, almost falling. _"Gah-"_  
  
"Sorry, did I catch you at a bad time?"  
  
"What's- One sec."  
  
Andrew crossed the log and then got a stick, trying to loosen the bag. He pulled it to him and searched it.  
  
The initials _M.B_. were embroidered on it "Do you know an M.B?" Andrew frowned.  
  
Neil paused, too long to be casual. Andrew pressed his lips together but didn’t comment on it, waiting for Neil to speak. "Uhhh. Nah. No. I don't think so. Why?"  
  
The night began to fall, and Andrew hurried along the ledge to a larger, more sturdy path. His own lookout was in sight now, lights on as he'd left them.  
  
He shrugged and held the bag tight. "No reason."  
  
He just wanted to get out of the dark, now.  
  
"Did you bring your torch, blondie?"  
  
"Of course I did. Shut up." Andrew paused. "How do you know I'm blond?"  
  
"It was a shot on the dark, really. Glad to hear it, though, I like blonds. Tell me more about how you look, handsome. I'm in my tower sketching right now."  
  
"Sketching. Didn't peg you for an artist, Picasso."  
  
"Well, Picasso is definitely most accurate. I do pass off a lot of my sketch work as abstract."  
  
"Well, then it's good that my nose is down by my jaw."  
  
The torch lit up most of what was in view, but Andrew stopped short when he thought he heard a twig snap from a ledge above him.  
  
He turned immediately, scanning the area for the source of the noise. He shone his torch above, and sure enough, a large figure of a man was standing above him. He had a torch of his own, which blinded Andrew for long enough that he was able to run away. He dropped his torch, and it tumbled down to a few feet away from Andrew.  
  
Andrew cursed, and then started chasing him, talking into the radio. "There's someone here."  
  
"Fuck. Really? Someone... in a _public_ national park?"  
  
"Look, shut the fuck up okay? They saw me and they booked it."  
  
"Maybe the creep thought _you_ were the creep."  
  
"Fuck you, I can't see them anymore." Andrew huffed and kept walking, soon getting sidetracked again. "What's in this cave?"  
  
"What cave?"  
  
The entrance to the cave was barred, with a locked steel door as part of it.  
  
"It's locked?"  
  
"Oh. The- yeah, that shit's been locked since a little after I got here. Nobody's been able to tell me what's behind it. Probably just service... stuff."  
  
"Huh. That's weird."  
  
"Yeah. Hon, get home."  
  
Andrew finally made it back to Two Forks, climbing up the seemingly never-ending steps and heading into the watchtower. He didn't realise that he needed to pee until he'd already stripped and tucked himself into bed.  
  
When he'd made the trek to the outhouse and back, he finally sighed. "Well, Neil, g'night."  
  
"Turning in? Already?"  
  
"Some of us need sleep to function, Neil."  
  
"Not me, old man. I just had a cup of coffee."  
  
"That's great. Goodnight."  
  
"Hey, Andrew. Hey Andrew. Andrew?"  
  
Andrew groaned, and leaned over to grab it again. " _What_?"  
  
"You're blond with... what colour eyes?"  
  
Andrew let the silence linger for almost a full minute. "You're still sketching me."  
  
"I wasn't able to continue! I have my watercolours out and ready. By the way, would you say you have a round face? A square face? Pointed chin?"  
  
"What if I'm a monster?"  
  
"Then I'll just draw that in, hon. Aren’t we all?”  
  
Andrew rolled his eyes. "My eyes are brown."  
  
"Okay."  
  
Neil was actually silent, for a few minutes.  
  
"Would you say a hazel, or a chestnut-"  
  
"Hazel."  
  
"Nice. Handsome."  
  
Andrew clenched his jaw. "Shut up, Neil."  
  
Neil hummed a little. "Okay, you're really headed to sleep then?"  
  
"Yes. You should too."  
  
"Maybe. Maybe."  
  
"I’ll talk to you tomorrow."

He heard Neil move, the clink of what Andrew guessed was a paintbrush in a glass. “Goodnight, Andrew.”


	2. Chapter 2

A few days passed since anything really happened. Andrew got up, as usual, put the kettle on and readied some bread to toast. He ran a hand up and down his bare chest before scratching at his stomach. He adjusted his boxers and stepped out to the cool morning air.   
  
Andrew stretched out, his radio hooked on his waistband, and he groaned.  
  
The view was magnificent. The woods were absolutely stunning, and the sunrise was beautiful shades of orange and yellow. Andrew ignored it.  
  
"Well, good _morning_ , handsome," purred Neil over the radio. "Glad to see you're up early."  
  
Andrew looked over towards where Neil was. "Huh. You can see me?"  
  
"Oh, damn right I can. And what a view, too."  
  
Andrew's body betrayed him, and he flushed slightly. "Yeah, the sunrise is real nice."  
  
"Yeah. The _sunrise._ "  
  
"What else is there?"  
  
Neil fell silent and then cleared his throat. "Nothing. Anyway, today is supposedly going to be the hottest day of the year so far. Your thoughts?"  
  
"You mean hotter than the past _week?_ "  
  
"Mmhm. Expect to fucking sweat like a pig, my dude."  
  
"Ugh, I could just stay here and not get dressed."  
  
"That sounds fair. Hell, I'm just sitting here almost buck naked and I'm boiling. Fucking hate the heat. But hey, it's the job, right?"  
  
"Isn't it a little unprofessional to be naked on the job?"  
  
"I said _almost!_ "  
  
"What are you wearing, then?" Andrew huffed, and then cleared his throat. "You don't have to answer that."  
  
Neil practically cackled, and his smile could be practically heard over the radio. "Just my shorts, if you must know.”  
  
"Yeah, me too. You already knew that, though."  
  
"You bet. It suits you. Do you always wear those armbands? I think this is the first time I've  seen you without."  
  
"I... yeah. I always wear them." Andrew crossed his arms. "You know, _I_ still haven't seen _you_."  
  
"Funny world, isn't it?" Neil chewed on his lip. "Maybe soon. Thorofare is just so awkwardly placed."  
  
The day progressed, and sure enough, the heat didn't subside. It only got hotter and Andrew found himself lying on a rock by the lake, feet in the water in hopes of cooling down a little and radio in his hand to talk to Neil.  
  
"So tell me," muttered Neil. "You got a girl back home?"  
  
Andrew considered how best to answer that.  
  
"No. _Definitely_ not." A beat of silence. "In fact, the fact that I don't have a girl is why I'm here."  
  
Neil's response felt so cold Andrew could feel himself get a chill, even in the hottest day of the summer. "Wait, what on earth does _that_ mean?"  
  
Andrew cleared his throat again. "I'm gay, Neil."  
  
"Oh."  
  
Up in his lookout, Neil scratched at his knee. He leaned up against the glass, looking out to Two Forks. He blinked and bit his lip, thinking of what Andrew had looked like that morning.  
  
He leaned back in his swivel chair, pushing it back far enough that he could prop his legs up on his desk.  
  
"Uh, same."  
  
Andrew hummed and wriggled his toes in the water. "You're not messing with me?"  
  
"Nope. I've been calling you handsome this whole time, haven't I?"  
  
"You've barely seen me, Neil."  
  
"Don't need to. You've got a handsome voice." Neil chuckled.  
  
"What does that mean."  
  
"Dunno. I just... there's something about talking to you. Look, forget it-"  
  
"Tell me what you look like."  
  
"I'm ten feet tall, tanned, with an eight pack," Neil drawled, all fake confidence.  
  
"Sure, sure. Try again."  
  
Neil held onto his radio tightly, he looked to a small mirror he had on his desk. "I... I've got... this is stupid-"  
  
"Neil."   
  
Something about Andrew's voice calmed Neil's nerves, oddly.  
  
"I've got brown hair. And- and blue eyes. My... friend used to tell me they looked like the ocean. And he said I was like the ocean too. Uhm, I have scars, though."  
  
Andrew thought about his arms. "You have scars?"  
  
"Burns. On my face, on my... on my chest. I used to have a tattoo, but I..." Neil scratched at his neck. "Nothing.”

Andrew was quiet for a second. "I have scars too."  
  
"Oh?" Neil’s voice was cautiously hopeful.  
  
"On my arms. They're really- that's why I wear the armbands."  
  
A truth for a truth.  
  
"I used to have a tattoo. But I- I didn't _want_ it. So I tore it off." Neil stifled another cackle. "It was really ugly before, and it still is now."  
  
"Should’ve just stuck with laser removal.” Andrew shook his head.

“Maybe next time. Your turn?”

The truth Andrew wanted to tell burned his tongue, so he went for another one. "My family didn't react well to me being gay. That's why I ran away to the woods."  
  
"We're all runaways out here, right?"  
  
"I guess so." A little more daring, Andrew rubbed his neck. "So, what are you doing?"  
  
"Oh, y'know. Just watching. I'm not exactly doing much. I actually- I have some tapes up here. Music that makes me think of home. Before you came along I would always have them on."  
  
"You ever leave that tower?"  
  
"Not very often. It's a hassle to get anywhere."  
  
Andrew leaned back, soaking in the sun. "Oh? Why?"  
  
"Thorofare is on the side of a mountain, one of the smaller peaks. There's a helicopter pad, and a small manual elevator down to the main forest area. It takes a while and a lot of upper body strength to pull myself down there with the lift, so I usually don't bother."  
  
Neil pulled out a pencil, gnawing on the back of it a little before grabbing his sketchbook. He drew random circles, hearts, triangles. He drew a face, with a long nose and gemstone eyes. He drew a number two under one of the eyes.  
  
He scribbled it out, an action that Andrew could hear over the receiver.  
  
"Having art troubles, Neil?" Andrew kicked at a stone, and then finally moved away from the water. His feet were starting to prune up, anyway.  
  
"Didn't turn out the way I wanted it to. I'd come down and meet you right now only for the effort. You get it, right?"  
  
Andrew did not get it, but if Neil was so unwilling to meet him there wasn't much he could do.   
  
"Anything happening in the woods?"  
  
"Nope."  
  
Neil scratched at his legs before starting to draw again. "Did you ever have a pet?"  
  
"When I was younger, a few of the families I stayed with had dogs. You?"  
  
"Dad used to have a dog. I always wanted a cat. You stayed with a few different families?”  
  
Andrew had no idea why he was telling the man all of this.  "Yeah, foster homes."  
  
"Cool. I... I ran away from home." Neil quickly sketched a cleaver. For those not as familiar with the tool as Neil Josten was, this was only a messy implement use to cut meat. The way he glared at the image showed how much more it meant to him.

“What, daddy didn’t love you?”  
  
"You could say that.”

Andrew tucked one of his knees up under his chin. "Well, he’s not here."  
  
“I really fucking hope not. You are, though.”  
  
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "And that matters why, exactly?"  
  
"It's better company than I've had since M-"  
  
"Since?"  
  
"Since a while, dammit."  
  
"Am I replacement for someone, then?"  
  
"No, _god,_ no."  
  
"Sure sounds like it."  
  
"If that sounds it then your ears are broken."  
  
Andrew snorted and then rolled his eyes. "The lake is warm, from the sun."  
  
"That's nice. I’m so sweaty in here.”  
  
"That's ‘cause you're cooped up in your cabin."  
  
"Uh-huh. I am indeed."  
  
"Get out, the breeze is great."  
  
Neil chuckled, soft and airy as the clouds above. "Maybe another time. I think I'd melt."  
  
Andrew gritted his teeth. "Yeah, okay."  
  
"What? Wait, hold on. Hold on just a minute."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Yeah." Neil disappeared, then coughed to announce his return. "There are reports, sorry. Uhm, there's been a big ol' momma bear sighted around the park. Just- just keep safe. Maybe can you- can you do rounds around the place, please? I know it's a hot, lazy day, but."  
  
"Hm? Yeah, sure, let me just go back to grab some clothes."  
  
"Going no clothes? Maybe I _should_ go down there. Good luck, okay?"  
  
"Too hot for clothes." Andrew made his way back to his tower quickly to grab supplies before starting to make the rounds of the area.  
  
He didn't hear much from Neil after that, only a bit of stale conversation in the evening before bed.

 


	3. Chapter 3

"Andrew? Two Forks, come in, _please_. Wake _up_."  
  
Andrew's hand came down on the radio, knocking it off the desk and making him move to pick it up.  
  
"What's wrong?" It seemed to be the middle of the night, but it was light out.  
  
"Look outside, dummy."  
  
He got out of the bed and scrubbed at his eyes as he made his way to the window. "What is i-"  
  
The forest was ablaze, so high that Andrew could almost feel the warmth from where he stood. Fire, bright sparks and red hot, flickering in the woods, devouring the trees. It was centered a little near the lake, dancing around the edges of the water to take hold of the shrubbery there too. The flame was absolutely mesmerising, and Andrew almost forgot that he was holding the speaking button on the radio down.  
  
".... Shit."  
  
"Yep. It's pretty, isn't it?"  
  
"What the fuck do we do?"  
  
"Oh. We can't do anything. The lookout in Nest and I have already called up to headquarters, and the forest fire service will be sending people out in the morning when they can. For now, all we can do is sit back and watch."  
  
Andrew nodded. "And you woke me up _why_?"  
  
"Cause it's pretty. And I wanted to talk to someone besides a glass of fucking prosecco."  
  
Andrew looked out over it. "I suppose it is kind of pretty" He crossed his arms and switched the receiver to his other hand. "If you're scared, I could come and keep you company."  
  
"This late? The momma grizzly is still around, man."  
  
"You don't think I could handle a bear? You wound me, Neil."  
  
"I think I prefer you _not_ mauled. Just- just stay _here_ _,_ with me."  
  
"I'm here." Andrew unlocked the cabin door and stepped out onto the walkway, leaning on the railing. The air was dry, and it stung his face. "Can you see me?"  
  
"Wave?"  
  
Andrew raised an arm and waved a few times.  
  
Neil laughed. "I could see you anyway. Stop waving your hand, you idiot. I can see you."  
  
"Asshole."  
  
"Nah. It's really nice, though. We should name it."  
  
"Name what?"  
  
"The fire!"  
  
"You want to _name_ the _fire_."  
  
"Yeah!"  
  
Andrew paused for a moment. "Bob."  
  
"Don't be stupid."  
  
"What would _you_ name it, then?"  
  
Neil made a low noise. "I dunno. The big... bonfire. Or something”  
  
"The Big Bonfire." Andrew wasn’t amused.  
  
"I dunno. Do you like that? Eh, me neither."  
  
Andrew watched the fire burn for a minute or two, and then he gritted his teeth. It was stupid.  
  
"Neil."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Why-" No, no. Andrew tried again. "Do you have any other family?"  
  
"An uncle. Cousins, probably. You?"  
  
Andrew dug a nail into the wood of the railing. "A brother. A cousin. I met them, once."  
  
"You like them?"  
  
"Barely know them. Aaron is- we're twins. His mother _wanted_ him."  
  
"Twins. So wait, your mom-"  
  
"Didn't want me." Andrew shrugged stiffly. "Doesn't matter."  
  
"But I-"  
  
"Forget it."  
  
Neil sighed. "Consider it forgotten."  
  
There was an awkward silence, but then-  
  
"I wish I was there with you."  
  
Andrew swallowed, let the words rest on his tongue before he said them. He was surprised to realise that he meant them. "Me too."  
  
Neil felt bad for not taking Andrew up on his offers to meet before. Maybe he should get his ass off his stupid swivel chair for once and actually _do_ something.   
  
"We could sit outside and talk," he murmured, grip tightening on the receiver, "without the radios..."  
  
"Yeah, we could." Andrew huffed. "What's the _real_ reason that you don't leave your tower, Rapunzel?"  
  
Neil sounded nervous. He stuttered, and stammered, and- "I don't feel safe going down there."  
  
"Scared of the woods, or something else?"  
  
"If I say woods, you'll know I'm lying, won't you?"  
  
"I think you know the answer to that."  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Neil cleared his throat. "I love our Big Bonfire."  
  
"He's doing pretty well, isn't he?"  
  
"He? Assumptions, assumptions."  
  
Andrew snorted. "Yeah, yeah. My offer stands, by the way."  
  
"Oh yeah?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
"Well... I'll keep it in mind."

 

* * *

  
  
Living in the woods on his own for a while seemed to be driving Andrew mad, although that was implying that he hadn't been mad before he had even _considered_ the job.  
  
Months, or even weeks ago, if he had made a list of all the activities that he would be caught doing, fishing wouldn't even be close to being on that list. However, boredom was a strong motivation to do things one didn't usually do.   
  
It only took him a little while to assemble the gear, and then he easily made his way down to the lake, setting up on the gravelly shore. The wetness of the gravel soaked into his shorts a little, but he ignored it as he cast a line and waited for it.  
  
Annoyingly, but nevertheless predictably though, he took out his radio.   
  
"Odds of me catching a fish today?"  
  
"Odds of you... eh, no. Probably not. Have you _seen_ that water?"  
  
The water was actually quite decent looking, and Andrew scrunched up his nose at the ominous statement. "What about it? Looks clean enough."  
  
"Eh. It is, but-"  
  
Neil babbled on, but Andrew's attention was now on a figure by the lake. There were a lot of strange noises coming from that direction, squeaks and bumps and clicks.  
  
"Shut up, there's someone _here_."  
  
"What? In a _public_ park-"  
  
Andrew hopped a log, only to find bits of scrap metal on the lakeside and a trail of fresh footprints in the sand.  
  
"What the fuck?"  
  
" _What?!_ "  
  
"Hold on." Andrew started to follow the footprints, frowning.  
  
Neil's heart was running away from him. "Andrew? Andrew, you're scaring me."  
  
Andrew almost fell a couple of times, cursing into the radio.  
  
"Andrew-"  
  
Andrew was suddenly hit across the head, himself toppling down and his receiver slipping out of his grasp. He heard a man pant, and run, and he didn't get a look at him.  
  
"Two Forks, come in, _please!_ "  
  
Andrew stayed down for a couple of minutes, Neil only able to hear him breathing harshly, and making pained noises.  
  
"Andrew, fucking say something!"  
  
"Here." Andrew spat, and then rubbed his head. "Ow."  
  
"What happened!"  
  
Head injuries had always left him sluggish, and he hated the feeling. He glanced about and noted a small clipboard propped up against a piece of scrap metal.  
  
He picked it up.   
  
"Well _that's_ fucking weird."  
  
"Huh? What is it?"  
  
"Well, first of all, some dude just jumped me, but second of all-"  
  
The clipboard had notes. Transcripts of conversations between 2F and NAT.  
  
Conversations Andrew could've sworn he'd had with Neil.  
  
"Wait, fuck." He flipped through them. "Someone is listening to us."  
  
_NAT:_ _you're blond with... what colour eyes?  
2F: you're still sketching me.  
NAT: I wasn't able to continue! I have my watercolours out and ready. by the way would you say you have a round face / square face / pointed chin  
  
2F: what are you wearing then?  
you don_ _’t have to answer that.  
NAT: (laughing) just my shorts.  
  
2_ _F: should_ _’ve just stuck with laser removal or something_ _._

_NAT: maybe next time.  
  
NAT: I don't feel safe going down there.  
2F: scared of the woods?  or something else?  
NAT: if _ _I say woods, you'll know I'm lying, won't you?  
  
_

Neil gulped, audible. "Someone is... someone is what?"  
  
"Listening to us. Writing down what we say."  
  
"You're not making sense-"  
  
"I carved myself up like a turkey to get it off. If I say woods, you'll know I'm lying, won't you?" Andrew flipped the page. "Neil… someone wrote this shit down? Fuck, this is- dude, why-"  
  
Neil whined. "How?! Who the hell thought-who has access to our radio frequency? Nobody. Nobody should. Maybe Nest... no, Nest wouldn't have it. Person would have to be in the forest."  
  
"The same person that hit me?"  
  
“I can only assume... Andrew, this... head back to your cabin. Right now. Don't talk to me until you're there."  
  
Andrew nodded and took the clipboard with him, quickly and quietly making his way back to his tower.  
  
He had flipped through the pages- they detailed everything, every conversation, almost every exchange between himself and Neil. There was something printed on the bottom of every page as if the logo provided by an organisation.  
  
_Outpost X._  
  
He clambered to the top of his tower and saw something then taped to the door.  
  
A small mp3 player, duct taped to the glass.  
  
"Fuck."  
  
He ripped it off, and pressed play.

_"On my arms. They're really- that's why I wear the armbands."  
  
"I used to have a tattoo. But I- I didn't want it. So I tore it off. It was really ugly before, and it still is now."  
  
"_ _Should’ve just stuck with laser removal."_

_  
__“Maybe next time. Your turn?”  
  
"My family didn't react well to me being gay. That's why I ran away to the woods."  
  
"We're all runaways out here, right?"  
  
Click._  
  
"They're recording us too, Neil-"  
  
"Calm down. Look, do you- do you trust me.” Neil's tone was cold, nervous, strange.  
  
"... Yes. Why?"  
  
"Don't set an alarm. Let _me_ wake you up."  
  
"What? What difference would _that_ make?"  
  
"Just trust me. And if you wake up early, don't leave until I contact you."  
  
"... Okay, Neil."  
  
"Promise me."  
  
"I fucking promise, Neil."  
  
"Now go to sleep. Get some rest, kid."  
  
"Kid. How old are you?"  
  
"Go the fuck to sleep."  
  
The receiver clicked, and Neil didn't speak for the rest of the night. Andrew eventually fell asleep and didn't wake again until the next day.


	4. Chapter 4

Andrew ran a hand through his hair and arched his back when he woke. He glared at the alarm clock. The time read 7:01, and it was already quite bright outside. He reached for his receiver.  
  
"Neil?"  
  
Nothing. Neil was probably sleeping. He'd forgotten everything of the previous night.  
  
"Good morning... handsome," he mumbled, hoping it would wake the boy. "Good _morning,_ handsome."  
  
Still nothing.  
  
He reached for his rucksack, then paused. He glanced to the clipboard he'd retrieved from the lakeside. Ah.  
  
He gritted his teeth and tried again. "Neil. Come in, Neil."  
  
Still nothing. Was Neil serious about not leaving until he'd contacted him? Regardless of his skepticism, just to be sure, he stayed put. He'd nodded off a few times before he heard a noise on the radio.  
  
Three hours later;  
  
" _Aaaandrew_."  
  
"What the fuck, Neil?"  
  
"How's it going? Isn't it a gorgeous day? God, I could _die_ in this sun. Say, do you still have that poster up on your window about the emergency rendezvous points?"  
  
What the fuck?  
  
"Uh yeah, I do."  
  
"You know that one. The one that sounds like my name?"  
  
Andrew scanned across the points marked on his map; tangerine, canary, olive, lime, cobalt, teal, magenta, violet. _Teal?_ Andrew furrowed his brow, confused. "Yeah, I know it."  
  
"I've heard it's actually kind of nice on days like these. I dunno, go check it out. There's a nice landmark there that I know you'll _love_."  
  
Andrew marked it on his own map. "Yeah, yeah, maybe I'll check it out."  
  
"Mmhm. Just don't call me until you get there."  
  
"Will do." Andrew grabbed his bag and got dressed, before quickly making his way downstairs.  
  
Whatever Neil was sending him to do, it must have been important after everything that had happened the previous day.  
  
It was about half an hour's trek, and he'd fallen into a river halfway but continued nonetheless. He approached the Teal Point- a small cabin marked by a tall teal flag. There was a porch and on that, a table, a fresh coffee steaming there. There was a helicopter pad sitting about forty feet back from it. The sound of the nearby trickling stream could be heard quite clearly, and Andrew pulled his bag tighter to him.  
  
There seemed to be movement in the cabin. Andrew approached cautiously and pulled the receiver to his face. "It's nice out, yeah. You were right. Is the landmark a-"  
  
"A little south of that."  
  
Andrew glanced past the cabin and spotted it- a huge oak tree with a figure sitting on the ground by the roots.  
  
The figure waved.  
  
"There you go, handsome. Over and out."  
  
Andrew walked over, shaking his head and taking in the figure in front of him. He was _gorgeous_ , and it pissed Andrew off.  
  
"Thought you had brown hair, _Neil._ "  
  
Neil tilted his head, auburn curls toppling across his forehead. He hummed as Andrew approached. "Don't I? I kind of forget, sometimes."  
  
His face was scarred as horribly as he'd described, but there was something handsome about how he looked. He had a leather knapsack beside him, nestled between roots of the tree.  
  
"Redder than I expected." Andrew sat down opposite him. "Why did you bring me all the way out here?"  
  
"You seemed eager to meet before. You change your mind?"  
  
"Forgive me for being a little stressed."  
  
"Oh, yeah. Here, give me your receiver?"  
  
Neil's lips curled in amusement. Andrew nodded and set it down on the ground between them. "I expected you to look different."  
  
Neil picked it up and inspected it, slowly. "Disappointed?"  
  
"Shut up. I expected the scarring to be worse, actually."  
  
"Oh, you haven't seen the worst of them," said Neil with a wink. He then bashed the receiver off of the tree, destroying it and crushing it until it was in pieces. "Now, we're being listened to, right?"  
  
Andrew nodded and then huffed. "Yeah, bastards taped more recordings to my cabin door. Any idea who it is, yet?"  
  
"Eh, so so. Here, open the bag!"  
  
Andrew opened it and then turned out the contents onto his lap. Two bright red receivers fell out, one labeled _Andy_ and the other _Me_.  
  
"Andy?" Andrew said drily, amused. "So we're still doing that?"  
  
"I think we're well past there, Andy. Here, take yours. I've set them to frequencies nobody uses and made sure they're not tapped. Do you know how to use a receiver, man?"  
  
Andrew pressed down the button and spoke into it. "Yeah, asshole."  
  
Neil pressed the button down on his own, crossing his legs. "Come in, dickhead. Are you there, dickhead?"  
  
Andrew put the receiver down. "Why don't we just stay here, though?"  
  
"Because we still have our jobs to do, handsome." Neil's face faltered a little. "We can't stay together forever."  
  
"Fuck the forest, Neil. They can't listen in on us if we just stay here and talk in person."  
  
"Andrew, don't be silly-"  
  
"Am I? Being silly?"  
  
"We're still meant to do our jobs, dude!"  
  
Andrew huffed. "You're right. Want me to fuck off back to my station, then?"  
  
"No. Not right now. We have some time. Do you want some coffee?"  
  
"Yeah, sure." Andrew stretched out his legs. "I can make it if you want."  
  
"I've got it ready in the pot right now, in the cabin," said Neil, standing up and holding out his hand for Andrew to take. "Come on. We can actually talk."  
  
Andrew nodded and then got up, carrying the receivers back to the cabin with him. Neil reached for Andrew’s hand, but let it drop. The cabin was homely, for an emergency meeting place, and sure enough fresh coffee was ready in the pot.

"Help yourself to the sugar."  
  
Andrew poured himself a cup, poisoning it with sugar and then adding milk, sipping it. "How'd you find this place?"  
  
"Bud, it's an emergency point. If there's a huge forest fire people can get picked up here."  
  
Andrew nodded. "That's good to know, I guess. What are we going to do?"  
  
"Well, we're going to... investigate... but not draw attention to ourselves."  
  
"And you want us to do that how, exactly?"  
  
"Well, we'll just go about our business I guess. Look, did you bring the transcripts?"  
  
Andrew nodded, pulling his own bag over to him and pulling them out. "Yeah, right here."  
  
"Okay. Okay." Neil went through the pages, and furrowed his brow at the recurring phrase of- "Outpost X? What's Outpost X...."  
  
"I have no idea, I was hoping that you'd know."  
  
"Hm. Well... that's where we can start. Actually, I heard that there's a sectioned off area in the forest. Sectioned off by chain link fence. Some people doing research on the weather had set up camp out there, a few years back."  
  
"Where is it?"  
  
Neil shrugged as he grabbed his own cup of coffee, a drink that had long gone cold by now. "No idea, myself. Fancy a little scavenger hunt?"  
  
"Sounds great, Neil."  
  
"Yeah. I thought you'd be more excited to see me, Andy"  
  
Andrew snorted, and then took another drink. "I could say the same, you know. I'm _plenty_ excited."  
  
"What? I've been trying to hold your hand this whole _time_ , mister stoic."  
  
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Didn't take you for a romantic, Neil."  
  
"Just-" Neil groaned. "Your eyes are a lot nicer than you let on."  
  
"They're just brown." Andrew shrugged. "Yours, though- they're different. It's nice."  
  
"People always tell me my eyes are the nicest part of me."  
  
"I wouldn't go that far." Andrew looked him over. "The rest of you's pretty nice too."  
  
Neil bit his lip, then laughed, a happy chirpy laugh. "Hey, thanks."  
  
Andrew went pink, slightly, and then shook his head. "Don't mention it."  
  
"Nah I'm gonna mention it all the time. You think _all_ of me is nice."  
  
Andrew shoved his face away, going redder. "Shut _up_."  
  
"Well, I love your hair. I went blond for a while, some time back."  
  
"I can't imagine you as a blond." Andrew reached out, grabbing hold of Neil's hair and then tugging him forward. "Red suits you."  
  
Neil reddened. "I- red isn't- it's not that red...!"  
  
Andrew grinned. "You alright there, Neil?"  
  
"You're just close."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
Neil put his hand up to meet Andrew's, still tangled in his hair. "I said, you're close."  
  
Andrew dropped his gaze to Neil's lips. "Neil, yes or no."  
  
"Yes or no? Why would you ask it like that?"  
  
"That's not an answer."  
  
"Yes to-" Neil panted, nervous. "Oh. Yes. Yes."  
  
Andrew rolled his eyes, and then dragged Neil forwards into a kiss. Neil returned it for a time, his inexperience showing in how he nipped at Andrew's bottom lip.  
  
The boy then pulled away and gave a weak frown. "Andrew, you told me before that you were having problems with your family."  
  
Andrew raised an eyebrow. "Way to kill the mood, Neil."

  
"No, I don't want to talk about you. I want to talk about... see, I'm running away from my father. He's... he's not too great. He's a fucking psychopath, and my- I'm getting paranoid that-" then he scoffed. It was pointless, anyway. "Never mind. Sorry, I'm just not ready to..."  
  
Andrew frowned. "What?"  
  
"I thought I was ready to open up, but-"  
  
Andrew shook his head. "I'm not going to force you, Neil. I'll listen when you're ready, though."  
  
"Okay. It's just... I'm scared that it's him. It's stupid, right?"  
  
Andrew swallowed. "If it is, what's the worst that could happen?"  
  
Neil blinked. "Probably nothing, really. It's fine. Why don't we start to head back, if you're done with your coffee...?"  
  
"Neil, if you wanna stay in my cabin for a while, you can."  
  
"I can't. I have to get back up to Thorofare. But I can walk up with you to your lookout."  
  
"Neil, I don't want to leave you alone."  Andrew gritted his teeth. "Okay? I don't want to leave you alone."  
  
"You won't be, remember? We have our receivers."  
  
"Still, what if something happens?"  
  
"Look, I'll stay in my tower. That'll be safe. And if something happens, I can handle myself. Andrew- yes or no?"  
  
Andrew worked his jaw and then sighed. "Yes, Neil."  
  
Neil held his hand up to Andrew's cheek and leaned in for another kiss, slow. Andrew kissed him back, keeping him close and hooking an arm around his neck again. Neil's other hand darted to Andrew's hip, where it quickly tangled in his shirt. Andrew grinned, and then pulled him closer, pulling back to drop kisses along the man's scars.  
  
Neil let out a soft noise, stepping back and dragging Andrew along with him until his back was against the wall of the cabin. He tightened his grip on Andrew's shirt and bit at the boy's lip again. Andrew laughed and then pulled back, kissing his lips again. "You still wanna go back to Thorofare?"  
  
"I have to, but I suppose I can stay a little while longer..."  
  
Andrew rolled his eyes, and then caught his lips in another kiss. "You're not so bad at that."  
  
"I'm not so bad at other things, too, idiot."  
  
"I never said you were!"  
  
"I meant..." Neil's hand pressed against Andrew's waist. "Other things. God, and you call me dim?"  
  
"... Oh."  
  
" _Yeah_."  
  
"Give you something to think about in Two Forks."  
  
Andrew rolled his eyes. "Yeah, yeah."

  
About half an hour later they started on their way back up to Two Forks, fingers linked as they walked.  
  
"I really liked kissing you, Andrew."  
  
"Glad that I didn't disappoint, then." Andrew fixed his bag strap, and then looked out to where the sun was still high in the sky. "I'm glad that we got to meet."  
  
"Even if it's under these absolutely _fucked_ circumstances."  
  
"Honestly, I wouldn't expect anything less for my life now."  
  
When they arrived at Two Forks, the forest around them was completely serene. They could almost forget everything that was going on around them. Neil squeezed Andrew's hand. "Hey, so, you have your new receiver, right?"  
  
"Yeah, I do. You?"  
  
"Mm. Look, this won't be the only time we see each other. And we'll talk. Safely, this time."  
  
Neil leaned against a post. "By the way... my scars..." He gestured to his chest. "They didn't look too bad, did they?"  
  
Andrew rolled his eyes and pulled Neil in, kissing the scars on his face again. "No, Neil."  
  
Neil chuckled, tilting his head up. With his fingers, he traced a line down Andrew's chest to the waistband of his jeans. "Think of me when you're bored up in your tower, handsome."  
  
"I did that _anyway_ , asshole." Andrew paused, and then reddened at the admission.  
  
"I'll bet you did. Talk to you soon, then?"  
  
"Talk to you soon. Get back to Thorofare safe, yeah?"  
  
"I'll be on my radio the whole way."  
  
"You better be."  
  
Neil stepped back and grinned, bringing his receiver to his mouth. He pressed the button down as he began to walk off. "Good day?"  
  
"Hey, stranger."  
  
"Hi, honey. Feel good to have a new receiver in your hands? Feel safe?"  
  
Andrew grinned and chuckled lowly over the receiver. "Don't call me honey. Ugh, okay, so Outpost X-"  
  
"Always work with you, isn't it? Huh. Well," and Neil paused to smack his lips. "You're just going to have to go out there and find it, aren't you? The fenced off area... but if you went out there now, you wouldn't be back till after midnight. And with that bear still around..."  
  
Andrew snorted and then switched the receiver to his other hand. "You think I couldn't take on a bear?"  
  
"I think I don't want to risk it."  
  
There was a silence. A calm, comfortable silence. Neither of them were used to this feeling, this feeling of just... pure comfort.  
  
"So are you gonna think of me tonight, cowboy?"  
  
"How annoying you are? I do that every night."  
  
"No..." drawled Neil. "I mean thinking about other things."  
  
"How shit your coffee is? You really spoiled me for choice, here."  
  
“We would… you know.”  
  
Andrew had returned to the tower, and his gaze was now fixated on the fire. _Their Big Bonfire_. “What could we do?”

“Well… let me tell you-“

Andrew went a deep crimson when Neil described something a lot heavier and more intense than shit coffee.  
  
"So are you gonna be thinking about that?"  
  
Andrew blinked, and then cleared his throat. "Well, yeah. I suppose."  
  
"Well, good. I'm going to do some chores around the lookout before sunset."  
  
The blond hummed. "Be careful, I heard there's a _bear_ out there."  
  
"Yep. And don't miss me too much while I'm out, huh?"  
  
"Oh, I don't know how I'll manage." Andrew's voice was deadpan. "Talk to you later."  
  
"Later."


	5. Chapter 5

"I'm at the fence."  
  
Andrew tucked the receiver into his jean shorts as he walked along the side of the fence. It was a misty afternoon, and Neil had promised to meet him by the fenced off region to explore it for Outpost X. They had been talking nonstop over the receivers about the holidays, plans for after work, family...  
  
The blond dragged his hand along the iron, and he perked up when he spotted the fence gate. "Aha. Found you."  
  
"You found me?" Neil said out of the blue, a grin clearly plastered on his face. "Congrats."  
  
Andrew ducked under the wire and then walked over towards where Neil was waiting. "Or commiserations."  
  
Neil shrugged. "I don't usually go out this far. I was scared I'd get lost. Glad I've got a big forest ranger man to keep me safe."  
  
"You're safe. Now, where should we start looking?"  
  
Neil turned on his heel, and led Andrew down a dirt path, along the perimeter of the fence. Andrew let his fingers drag along the chain links in it, ignoring the slight jolt of pain as he followed Neil into a part of the forest he hadn't been in before.   
  
The sun was high, and it wasn't taking any prisoners that day as it pounded down, causing Andrew to sweat through his shirt by the time they were halfway there.   
  
"You don't happen to have any-"  
  
"Shut up."  
  
Andrew blinked, affronted, and Neil shook his head apologetically, offering him a sheepish smile.  
  
"No, sorry, just- it's there."  
  
Andrew tilted his head up in the direction of Neil's finger, and sure enough, he could see a glimpse of a corrugated iron outpost through the trees, though just barely.  
  
"Outpost X." He breathed out, and then pulled his shirt away from his chest.   
  
"Yeah."  
  
The forest was thicker around it, as though they had looked for the most secluded part of the forest for their base.  
  
Although Andrew supposed, that was exactly what they did.  
  
"So what do you know about this place?"  
  
Neil crossed his arms and hummed. "I called in to ask about it. I was right; some researchers set it up a while back. They only come around every odd winter and lock the place up the rest of the year. Creepy place, right? Especially if N- if uh, if someone's here."  
  
"Hm?"  
  
"Especially if someone's here. And listening to us, at that."  
  
They passed a huge steel anemometer built firmly into the ground and approached the small, glass research building. It remained unlit and uninhabited, as it had all summer, yet the lock on the door appeared to have been broken. Upon Andrew's inspection, it looked that it had been broken in with a crowbar or something.  
  
"Well, _that's_ inviting."  
  
"After you, sir.”  
  
Andrew gave Neil a look before stepping inside, the door creaking behind him. Well lit in the afternoon light, the research facility was surprisingly small. Some machinery, some computers, but what caught Andrew's eye was a coffee cup. Half filled, still a little warm. Accompanying it were more notes akin to those he'd found by the lake, but-  
  
"These are in code," groaned Neil. "So I guess those are useless."  
  
"Maybe they have a key somewhere?"  
  
"Ah yes, _I'm going to encode my fucked up notes about my son, and leave a key for people to figure out what I've been writing!_ Not likely, Drew."  
  
"Son?"  
  
Neil snapped his neck up. "Huh?"  
  
"You said- this is your _father?_ "  
  
"I didn't say that." Neil sounded genuine, serious. Had Andrew just been hearing things?  
  
A quiet thump noise came from across the room. Andrew startled, and turned. "Who's there?"  
  
Silence.  
  
Neil stepped about, quietly. He motioned for Andrew to come over, and the blond reluctantly did.

"Take a look at this," whispered Neil, holding up a sheet of recently uncrumpled paper. "It looks like a map of the forest."  
  
It was, indeed, identical to the map they had both been provided. Identical except for a cross, scrawled into what looked like a brush of trees a little south of where the girls had left all their cans so long ago at the start of the summer.  
  
"How long have they been here?"  
  
"A few years, but they don't come during the summer, Drew... look, the coffee is still warm...'  
  
"God, this is so fucking weird. And if someone is spying on people from here..." Neil grunted, "I wish I could just burn the place down."  
  
Andrew gritted his teeth, and then picked up a clipboard, flicking through it. "Neil, cut the shit. You know what's happening?"  
  
Neil blatantly ignored the man's accusation. "We should burn this sick place down."  
  
"Neil."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Tell me what the fuck is going on, or I'm leaving."   
  
Andrew put the clipboard down with a clatter and crossed his arms. "Don't leave." Neil reached for a pen, then paused. He twitched. "I can't..."  
  
Andrew made to leave.  
  
"My name isn't Neil. Can we start with small truths?" Neil gulped. "Can we start there? Can you trust me?"  
  
Andrew paused, and faced away. "What's your name, then?"  
  
"I... my birth name is Nathaniel."  
  
Andrew hummed. "Your father is the one stalking us."'  
  
"Calm down. He might not be."  
  
_Might_.  
  
"You don't sound sure."  
  
"I'm not. This- I'm... he's what I'm running from. He's why I'm hiding in the middle of nowhere." Neil bit on the inside of his cheek. "He's... a murderer. A serial killer."  
  
Andrew went still. "So your murderer father _could_ be the one stalking us?"  
  
"He's the only one I could think of who could be trying to hunt me. You. Us. Andy, _please_ -"  
  
"Shut up, Neil. Why didn't you tell me?"  
  
"How could I, when I didn't know how... deep it went. I didn't want..." Neil's breathing hitched. "I didn't want to lose you so fucking soon, okay?"  
  
"Who said you were fucking- _what?_ "  
  
"I don't want to lose you. Don't make me say it again, Andy, I'll..."  
  
"What, you'll burn me to the ground?"  
  
Neil's blood ran cold. "If you hate me, that's fine, I guess. I can take it. But there's still someone watching us."  
  
"What do you want us to do, then?"  
  
"I don't know. Do you think the map with the thing marked off on it could be of use?"  
  
"We should probably head down there."  
  
"We? I can't go that far from my tower, Andy, you know that."  
  
"Nothing is going to happen to you, Neil."  
  
"Look, please. I know I don't have the right to ask you after I didn't tell you about me, but please?"  
  
Andrew gritted his teeth and then sighed. "You owe me, after all of this."  
  
"Yeah. Fine. Fine, yes, thank you." Neil sighed. "Do you mind if I look around here for a sec before heading back up to Thorofare?"  
  
"Will that stop you?"  
  
"Stop me?"  
  
"Never mind." Andrew grabbed his receiver. "I'll take the map, knock yourself out here okay?"  
  
"Yeah. I will. I'll head up soon. Thanks."  
  
Neil stepped to the computer and leaned over the desk, clearly deep in thought. Andrew left, letting the door shut loudly behind him. It didn't help to stomp his way back along the dirt trail towards the mark on the map, but he pretended that it did.  
  
After half an hour of walking in silence, only the forest critters around making noise, he heard a cough over the receiver. "Uh, hey."  
  
"What is it?"  
  
"I just wanted to check in."  
  
Andrew ignored him for a few minutes, plowing on, hopping over a small gap and stopping along a ledge. He could see the lake clearly from here, with Outpost X in the distance and Thorofare even further behind that, tucked neatly between two peaks.  
  
"Andrew? I said I just wanted to check in. Are we..." Neil stopped, looking for the words. "Are we still awkward?"  
  
Andrew almost laughed. "Well, would you say it's awkward when the dude you- when the dude you _work with_ has a dad who’s a murderer, and he didn't tell you? Or when he lied about his name for weeks."  
  
"I didn't want to put you in danger. That’s why I put off meeting you in the first place. What if doing that made you a target? Man, I'm not gonna apologise, because it was the right thing to do, but I just don't want you to do anything stupid.”  
  
"It's a little too late for that, don't you think?" Andrew took his finger off the button and shoved the receiver into his pocket. It was stupid, this _entire thing_ was stupid. If he had any sense at all, he'd just leave.  
  
"Andrew, get over yourself. _Talk_ to me..."  
  
Andrew pointedly ignored him, focusing on the path ahead of him.  
  
"What if you'd called the cops on me for lying about my birth name? I couldn't take that chance. Talk to me, fuckin- _listen_ -"  
  
Andrew took the receiver out, considering talking for a few seconds before turning it over and taking the batteries out.  
  
"Andy-" _kzzt_.  
  
He kept it off then, eventually reaching the place that seemed to be what was marked off on the map. He briefly considered putting the batteries back in, and then gritted his teeth as he did so.   
  
"Made it there."  
  
Neil didn't respond.  
  
That was just fine by Andrew, and he put it away again as he made his way down, pushing brambles and bushes aside. As he pulled his receiver up to his mouth, his footing caught and he tumbled forward, grunting as he hit his face off of a particularly thick tree trunk.  
  
"Andy, are you okay?!'  
  
"Oh, you’re alive. M’fine." Andrew wiped his nose, which had started to bleed, and groaned. "Gonna have a black eye."  
  
As he shifted his hand behind him to lift himself up, it pressed against an oddly familiar material, but it definitely wasn't tree bark. A small rucksack was tied to the tree.  
  
"What the _fuck?_ "  
  
He tugged it down and then opened it to pull out what was inside. There were a few bottles of beer in the bag some granola bars, and a set of keys labeled Cave.  
  
_Cave_ -  
  
"Shit, Neil."  
  
"What?"  
  
"I found keys to that locked cave, in a random bag in the woods."  
  
"Is it where the map marked?" Neil's breath hitched. "If that's the spot, then the bag probably belongs to-"  
  
"Murder dad?"  
  
Neil's silence was a good enough response.  
  
"Great. Fantastic."  
  
"He's probably... he's probably hiding there, is he? Andy, are you going to go-"  
  
"Do what you do best and just stay where you are, yeah?"  
  
"Don't do anything stupid," grunted Neil. "Please."  
  
"I hate that word." Andrew snapped, and then pinched the bridge of his nose. "I'm not planning on dying, you know."  
  
"Fine. Just make sure you don't, or else I'll kill you."  
  
"Counterproductive, no?"  
  
Neil didn’t laugh. "Just tell me when you get there then."

It was dark again by the time Andrew had gotten to the cave. He'd taken a few detours, a few roundabout ways of getting there in hopes of throwing off anybody who might potentially be following.  
  
He pulled his torch out from his belt and flicked it on, illuminating the cave entrance. He hadn't ever been the biggest fan of the dark, and he could hear his heart pounding. He held the key tight, letting the teeth dig into his palm and keep him focused.   
  
"I'm inside."  
  
The receiver crackled in response, Neil's voice struggling to come through.  
  
"Neil?"  
  
The same thing happened again, the voice coming across as just static. Andrew could only approach the gate, fiddling with the keys. He slid the key into the lock and then turned it.  
  
It swung open with a horrific screech, and the cave was finally accessible. Andrew never wanted to hear Neil's voice so much before.  
  
"It's open."   
  
He took a step inside, watching his surroundings for any danger. He took a few more careful steps before he heard a thud from behind him. Quickly, he turned, and he just about saw the figure of a man slamming the gate shut and keeping it stuck with a heavy iron bar.  
  
"Fuck-" The man was gone, and Andrew rattled at the gate to no avail. "Neil, I'm trapped." Andrew jammed the button down again. " _Neil_."  
  
Nothing but static. The only way from here was down deeper into the cave. Andrew had no choice than to go further in, although he really didn’t want to.


	6. Chapter 6

He hobbled down the staggered steps, bracing himself against the wall with his movements careful as he could. It just got, darker, darker, yet darker still, and he had spent almost twenty minutes feeling his way around before there was a small gap in the ceiling of the cave where a rockslide had occurred.  
  
"How the fuck am I supposed to get up there?"  
  
He approached the rockslide, treading carefully before he heard a disgusting snapping noise beneath his foot. He looked down, leaning over before realising what he'd stepped on and toppling backward.  
  
A hand. A boney, rotted hand. Attached to a boney rotted body, half crushed by rocks.  
  
He cursed loudly and scrambled backward. "Fuck!"  
  
The body had some relatively undamaged climbing gear lying beside it, and Andrew glanced back up to the opening.  
  
What if this was his only chance to escape?  
  
Covering his mouth with his shirt, he went back over to untangle the climbing gear from the body. It was horrifically easy since the rotten limbs came apart as Andrew pulled them. He gagged, and then pulled it towards himself, adjusting it and then standing back to see what he was doing.   
  
The opening wasn't too high up, and it only took him a couple of tries to get a decent hook into it to start and pull himself up.  
  
When he acquainted himself with the moonlight, he realised where he was. The small gap he'd hopped and found the bag labelled M.B.  
  
He sat down to catch his breath and then took out his receiver. "Neil?"  
  
There were scrapes on his legs and arms, and he gritted his teeth.  
  
"Andy, thank fuck... where are you?!"  
  
"I got... fuck, some man locked me into the cave, I had to climb out."  
  
"Some man," echoed Neil.  
  
Andrew nodded. "I didn't see him..."  
  
"We both know who it must've been..."  
  
Andrew huffed, and then rifled through his bag for water. "Why aren't you out here getting all… y’know, _scrope_ up?"  
  
"Is that even a word? Andy, uh, look- can you just get to safety or something and we can talk more?" Neil seemed jittery, scared.  
  
"Neil, are you safe?"  
  
"I just, I got home and locked the door. I used some barbed wire down the stairs to make sure nobody'll get up to my watchtower." He chuckled. "You could almost call me paranoid."  
  
Andrew almost laughed. "Who are these people, Neil?"  
  
“We’re starting with small truths, remember?”  
  
“Neil-“  
  
“Go back to Two Forks.”  
  
Andrew took a deep breath. "Why shouldn't I just leave, Neil?"  
  
"Leave what?"  
  
"The fucking forest."  
  
Neil sighed. "You could. But you'd miss me too much."  
  
"Apparently I don't _know_ you all that well. Maybe I'd get over it."  
  
"You wouldn't."  
  
"Wouldn't I?" Andrew was feeling particularly cruel.  
  
Neil didn't respond.  
  
Andrew got up and started to walk. "You need to tell me what's going on. You can't keep me in the dark."  
  
"About what? I've told you every-"  
  
" _Have_ you? Really?" Andrew raised an eyebrow. "You can't bullshit me, Neil."  
  
"My mom took me on the road to hide from my dad. She's dead now. The only friends I'd had before, they're dead now. He's associated with the Yakuza. He's a serial killer. I was worried that he might have found me. Your predecessor went missing in these woods. His name was Matt. Matt Boyd. I reckon my father killed him too. And I _don't_ want you to die. Did I miss anything?"  
  
"Matt Boyd?"  
  
"That was his name, yeah."  
  
"I found his bag."  
  
Neil took a second. "Yeah. I thought as much."  
  
Andrew pressed his lips together. "How do we deal with your father, then?"  
  
"Did you not find anything in the cave?"  
  
"I was kind of too busy getting locked in by a maniac and getting scratched to death by rocks." Andrew went quiet, though. "There was a _body_ there, Neil."  
  
"A body?"  
  
"Yeah. It had climbing gear and... it was pretty fucking gross."  
  
Andrew walked along the path, heading back down to Two Forks.  
  
 "It could have been him. Oh also, I'm glad you got back safely."  
  
Andrew furrowed his brow. "I'm not back yet."  
  
Neil chuckled. "Right. I can _see_ you from here, man."  
  
Andrew looked to Two Forks. The lights were on, and the silhouette was visible standing inside. "Neil that’s not me?"  
  
"Andy, if that's not you-" Neil cut himself off, beginning to hyperventilate. “Andy, it’s him. He’s there. Nathan- dad, he’s there, he’s- you’re fucking with me-!”  
  
"I’m not,” assured Andrew with a cold tone. “I'm not back inside yet."  
  
"All of the stuff that we found, he’s going to find it."  
  
Andrew picked up the pace as he walked. "All I wanted was a peaceful fucking summer."  
  
He got to Two Forks after a few minutes and began his usual climb up the steps. "At Two Forks now."  
  
"The person's gone. The lights went out a few minutes ago, Andy..."  
  
The window had been smashed in, and all of Andrew's possessions had been thrown about the place. His sheets and pillow were gone, his desk bashed in, maps missing. An envelope and another tape recorder were stuck to the door.  
  
"Fuck sake. All my shit is messed up, Neil."  
  
"Fuck, fuck," Neil began to hyperventilate again before he calmed himself. "Okay. Okay."  
  
"Neil, I can't fucking _sleep_ here."  
  
He ripped the envelope from the door and pressed play on the tape recorder.  
  
_"I wish I could just burn the place down." "You know what's happening. Tell me what the fuck is going on." "My name isn't Neil-Nathaniel. My father-is what I'm running from. We should burn this sick place down." "You'll burn me to the ground?" "That's fine, I guess."_  
  
Their conversation from Outpost X, spliced together strangely and sounding like they _actually_ planned to burn the place down. In the envelope were photos.  
  
Photographs of Andrew, and of Neil.  
  
Of them in the cabin.  
  
A photograph of Andrew, hands tangled in Neil's hair. Both of them in a state of undress. A photograph of Andrew in his outpost, in his underwear, a cup of coffee in his hand, taken from afar. A photograph of Neil with the new receivers.  
  
Behind the more intimate picture was a message in red sharpie.  
  
_You'll burn together._  
  
Andrew grunted and then turned to the window. "Stay away from us, you creepy bastard."  
  
"I can't go... Andy, I can't-"  
  
Neil suddenly stopped, silent. Andrew slammed his fist against the wall, and shouted into the receiver, "For _fuck's_ sake, Neil, grow a pair, because you need to own that you're in trouble. You're a tough cookie, and there's no way you should be pussying out right now. Do you understand?"

Neil was silent, and Andrew cleared his throat. "Neil, I'm-"  
  
"Look out your window, _asshole_."  
  
Andrew glanced around before he saw it. He squinted, then his eyes went round. "Is it me, or is our little Big Bonfire getting a bit _too_ big?"  
  
"There's two now. Andrew, the second one is where..."  
  
"Outpost X. Outpost X,” Andrew widened his eyes. “Did you set it on fire?”  
  
Neil groaned. "Andy-"  
  
"You absolute _idiot_."


	7. Chapter 7

Observing the fire from his comfortable seat at Thorofare, Neil was gripping the desk tightly in his frustration. "You're saying a lot of shitty things to me right now that I don't deserve, and I really don't like it."  
  
"I don't _care_ if you don't like it. Don't you get it? I don't care about you. All you are is trouble."  
  
"And you're what, a bouquet of flowers?"  
  
Andrew felt like crushing the receiver in his hand. "Did you call the forest watch?" he said through gritted teeth. "The fire department?"  
  
"Hold on, I'll do that."  
  
Andrew sat down, blood boiling. He couldn't believe that Neil would actually set a fire, an extremely dangerous fire when he had always kept yammering on about how important it was to go back up to his tower.  
  
All those excuses he had made not to bother coming down to meet him.  
_  
Fuck._  
  
Andrew held the button down. "Look, Neil, what I said-"  
  
"Andy, I'm on the phone right now."  
  
Andrew bit down on the inside of his cheek. "Are you talking to them right now?"  
  
"No. The phone is just ringing."  
  
"Then we can talk."  
  
"I don't _want_ to," snapped back Neil. After a few minutes of silence, and the fire spreading dangerously quickly, Neil came back to him. "They're not picking up. I just checked outside, Andy, the phone line. The phone line was cut."  
  
Andrew scoffed. "Are you maybe being a little paranoid?"  
  
"No. I went outside and checked. Andy, we're in trouble. We're not getting help."  
  
"Well, what the fuck are we supposed to do, then?"  
  
"The fire won't spread out here because of the gorge. Andy, I know you hate me, but pack your shit, and come up to Thorofare. Now."  
  
"Stop fucking _calling_ me that."  
  
"Why? You didn't have a problem with it before. Would you prefer Dickhead? Dumbass?"  
  
"That's fucking rich." Andrew scratched at his neck. " _I_ didn't set half the fucking forest on fire. _I_ didn't bring a fucking serial killer out into the woods and endanger some guy while lying to him the entire time."  
  
"I didn't do that either. None of that is my fault- okay, I'm done talking to you. Come here, or don't, then."  
  
Neil glared out at the fire as he switched frequencies, ignoring his other half.

"Come in, anybody, come in."  
  
On Andrew's end, Neil was no longer responding. He grunted and made to pack his bag, shoving whatever necessities he'd take. He could go to Thorofare. He didn't have to, but he could.  
  
He didn't _not_ want to.  
  
"Neil, come in."  
  
Neil did not.  
  
Andrew grimaced, and packed his bag.   
  
"I hate you so _much_."  
  
The blond jogged through the forest, trying to keep down the fear he was feeling well up in his chest. The dull forest that he'd spent the past month watching was now going up in greater flame than the bonfire... thing that he and Neil had named.   
  
He'd already forgotten the name of it. And now, knowing a serial killer was stalking him, probably trying to kill him, every noise that was made around him made him flinch and jump as he tried to rush North to the gorge between his neck of the woods and Thorofare.  
  
He heard his receiver buzz, and almost too keenly pulled it to his ear. "What?"  
  
"Andy, I'm scared."  
  
"Don't call me-"  
  
Andrew checked his tone. The last time he'd tried to talk to Neil, he was trying to apologise. He took a breath.  
  
"Neil, I had no right to-"  
  
"To what?"  
  
"Let me fucking finish." Andrew groaned. "I shouldn't have said that shit to you, I'm walking to Thorofare now."  
  
"I..." Neil coughed. "I should have told you earlier."  
  
Andrew snorted. "Yeah, no kidding-"  
  
"Now let _me_ fucking finish. I should have told you earlier, and I really wanted to. I was scared then, and I'm scared now. But every day, I wanted to tell you. Every single day, I wanted to walk down there and just sit at the desk with you or go on a walk. See you in person. Every time you offered I had to remind myself of how dangerous and risky it was. I was scared to high heavens. And I _still am_ , and I need you. Okay? Can we bury our hatchets? Because I know that...."

Neil mumbled the last bit.  
  
"You know that...?"  
  
"I know that we both have feelings for each other."   
  
Andrew marched through the woods, hopping along the trail and over some fell logs.  
  
"Feelings." Andrew didn’t _do_ feelings.  
  
Neil chuckled. A soft, familiar chuckle, that made Andrew yearn for their calm evenings together again.  
  
"You... know what I mean."  
  
Neil was adorable.  
  
"Yeah, yeah. Is your tower warm? It's cold as balls out here."  
  
" _Andrew_."  
  
"What?"  
  
"Don't distract me."  
  
Andrew looked behind him. Had he heard something-?  
  
No, he hadn't. Wait, Neil had said something. "Hm?"  
  
"Nothing, I guess. Yeah, Thorofare is goddamn toasty."  
  
"No, what did you say? Sorry, I thought-"  
  
_Snap. Crack_. Someone was definitely there, following him. Definitely.  
  
"Fuck."  
  
"I was saying to stop distracting from... feelings."  
  
"Neil I think there's someone-" But, of course, no one. Andrew tripped on a root, falling on his back and grunting in pain. "The sooner that we're out of this fucking forest, the better."  
  
"Are you close?"  
  
He wasn't. "I am."  
  
Neil sighed. "Okay. Okay, I'll get rid of the barbed wire."  
  
"Barbed wire?"  
  
"I told you, I put it up in case of my dad."  
  
Andrew's ankle hurt, really bad. "Yeah, that makes sense."  
  
He kept going. He started to sweat, from the intense heat.  
  
"Okay, Andy, there's... when you get to the gorge, there'll be the manually operated elevator... thing. Okay? You just- you just pull, and it moves you along. It's slow, god, it is slow, but..."  
  
"Is it _safe?_ "  
  
"Oh, it's safe."  
  
Andrew gritted his teeth. "Did you know that I hate the woods?"  
  
"You've mentioned it, mmhm."  
  
"Because I _really hate_ the woods."  
  
"Do you really hate the woods?" Neil snorted. “I had no idea.”  
  
"Well right now I think I sprained my ankle, and I have no idea if anyone is following me or not, so."  
  
"He's probably not..."  
  
" _Probably_."  
  
Andrew took another breath before he tripped again, this time forward, hitting his head off of a thick plank of wood.  
  
Wait, wood?  
  
He pushed himself up off of the forest floor and glared down. A trapdoor with rusty inset handles was built into the ground. It had been covered up by a bunch of twigs and branches and leaves but in Andrew's haste-  
  
"Whoa, what the hell?"  
  
"Andy?"  
  
"There's a door here, why the fuck is there a door here?"  
  
"A door?"  
  
Andrew pressed his hands to the wooden square. "Like a trapdoor."  
  
"No way. What?' Neil scoffed. "Andrew, keep going."  
  
"Dude, I'm not fucking _lying_."  
  
"Yeah, okay, just get over here."  
  
Andrew made to leave, but something inside him itched with curiosity. The fire wouldn't catch up, anytime soon.  
  
He reached down and pulled the trapdoor open by the handle. It piqued his interest, and when Andrew was curious...  
  
He climbed down, quickly. He didn't have to spend much time investigating.  
  
The small cave smelled of cigar smoke, and there was a setup for developing photos nearby. Andrew stepped further in, looking along the walls. There were many photos of Neil. Photos of another boy with black hair, and a scarred face.  
  
Photos of people Andrew absolutely didn't recognise.  
  
"Uh... Neil?"  
  
"What? Are you coming? Almost here?"  
  
"There are pictures of people here. There's a picture of _you_."  
  
"A picture of me."  
  
Sitting on a crate nearby was a cleaver.  
  
"And... Neil, there's a weapon down here, I think-"  
  
Nathaniel.  
  
Andrew reached, grabbing all the photographs and shoving them into his bag. Neil would probably want to see them. Another glance around the room and Andrew spotted all of the notes, transcripts of the conversations between him and Neil. Holy _shit._  
  
"Fuck sake." He grabbed those too, and after thinking about it, picked up the cleaver. It was the closest he was going to come to a weapon, probably. He heaved himself out of the trapdoor, the fire not having spread too far. He'd been lucky to come across that trapdoor, and considering that the road led straight up to Thorofare, it was no wonder than Neil's dad had chosen it to hide out at.  
  
He started on the way to Neil again, reaching the lift. "Okay, okay, I'll be there soon."  
  
He could see Thorofare now, could see the dim light that was Neil's presence in it. A less dim light lay behind him, where the fire was starting to spread, tugged along by the breeze and devouring everything it could reach.   
  
The boy wasn't kidding though, the lift was slow and heavy, and not easy to move in the slightest. By the time he reached the top, his arms were trembling from the strain of it.   
  
"Past the lift."  
  
He looked back, and his blood ran cold, cold enough to negate the furious heat at the forest's edge.  
  
The figure of a man stood at the other end. A big, tough man.  
  
Andrew stepped off of the lift.  
  
The man raised a hand.  
  
Andrew didn't hesitate before pulling the cleaver to the sturdy rope, about to cut through it when-  
  
He looked back and there was nobody.  
  
Had he just been imagining things _again?_  
  
He swallowed and then turned to walk towards the tower. "Neil, I'm here."  
  
"Same."  
  
Andrew rushed up the stairs, knocking on the door. Neil's tower was a lot nicer decorated, bedizen with watercolour drawings, sketches, notes, photographs of the area. He was boiling the kettle, two teacups out and ready. Neil was sitting on his bed, cross-legged, in his oversized shirt, his boxers and socks, looking nervous.   
  
"Welcome to Thorofare, stranger."  
  
Andrew paused at the door, before swallowing and putting the cleaver in his bag. "Hey."  
  
Neil stood quickly and flattened his shirt. He cleared his throat as he pulled the door open. The heat of the burning forest could be felt even up here, even as Neil ushered the blond inside.  
  
"I don't have much to eat. I have pop tarts, I know you have a sweet too-"  
  
Andrew interrupted him with a brief but well-deserved kiss.  
  
Neil smiled against the man's lips and kissed back. "Mm!"  
  
Andrew pulled back almost as soon as he started, and then raised an eyebrow. "Pop tarts?"  
  
Neil forced a grin. "Mm. Yeah. We can watch the forest burn, huh? You look pretty shaken up- Andy, are you..." he sighed when he saw Andrew grimace. "Sorry, Drew, I mean."  
  
Andrew swallowed. "There was... a man, he almost caught up with me, but I got on the lift in time."  
  
"A man? My dad? Are you sure?"  
  
"No, I'm kidding." Andrew deadpanned. "Of _course_ I'm fucking sure."  
  
"Yes, but... but... what did you say you'd found? Pictures?"  
  
Andrew grabbed his backpack and took out the things he had grabbed.  
  
Neil looked them over. Photographs, yes. Creepy, stalker photographs. Of them in their towers, of them being intimate...  
  
He picked out a handful of photographs that weren't of him and stuttered.  
  
"U-uh, Jean? Kevin?... What the _hell..._ "  
  
"You _know_ these people?"  
  
"Yeah, I used to. When I was with my mom, and my dad."  
  
Another picture, of a handsome man. Andrew recognised him too, vaguely. "Matt...?"  
  
Neil nodded. "Fuck. God, so my dad killed him. But... the body. Wait. The body you found looked like this?"  
  
Andrew nodded, ignoring the sick feeling in his stomach.  
  
"Huh. Huh. Okay. Uhm. So I guess, until fire rescue gets here, we need to calm down, fend for ourselves...'

Andrew wrapped an arm around him protectively. "How long will they take to get here?"  
  
"Not a clue. I wasn't able to call them. Andrew, we'll be safe. We'll be fine."  
  
"Will we?"  
  
"Yeah. Surely," sniffed Neil. "Especially since I've got big bad Andy-Pandy with me here."  
  
"Ugh, Neil."


	8. Chapter 8

The helicopters came soon after. The fire rescue workers were efficient, helping Neil and Andrew up and out of the Palmetto State Park quickly. They had been the last tower evacuated, as they hadn't been able to contact the call center.

Neil brought a handful of things with him- a ring binder, some photographs he'd taken of the forest in his time there. Andrew brought only himself- ditching the rucksack with all of their evidence on Neil’s father. He'd thrown it down the long gorge between Thorofare and the rest of the park, hoping it would burn with the forest.

They landed at a rescue station less than half an hour later. They were offered blankets, with Andrew refusing and ironically ranting at a rescue officer for a cigarette.

That night, eventually, after being asked a barrage of questions, Andrew and Neil were allowed some time together. Neil tugged at the hem of his shirt nervously in the light of the streetlamps above them, Andrew walking confidently down the sidewalk.

“They asked us to be back in an hour,” said Neil, teeth chattering in the cold. “We shouldn't wander-”

Andrew snorted. “Relax, arso. You not hungry?”

The blond pointed to a well-lit establishment along the sidewalk. A quaint diner. Neon lights in cursive spelled out **_SWEETIE_ _’_ _S_** , a sign with a red apple flashing under it.

“Killer pies, there.”

Neil followed him in, sighing in the warmth. Andrew strolled to the counter. A girl with shoulder length silvery-blond hair and rainbow fade at the tips served them with a smile.

“Hiya. How can I-”

She paused, and gasped, and reached for the dainty cross necklace that hung from her neck.

“Drew?”

Neil glanced between them. “You know each other?”

“Renee,” said Andrew, slowly, almost a drawl. “Hi.”

“Hey. Small state, huh? Who’s this?”

Andrew groaned. “Right. Neil-Renee, Renee-Neil. You're introduced, now.”

Renee chuckled. “He your fella now?”

Andrew’s cheeks went dark. The corner of Neil’s mouth turned upwards in a smirk. “No. I- sorry, who are…”

“We pretended to date in high school,” explained Renee. “And… I know his type-”

“Hon, we’ll catch up later. Can I get two of your _Delightfully_ _Sinful Apple Pies_?”

Renee scribbled it down on a note and nodded. “That all?”

“Ice cream,” said Andrew. “Vanilla.”

They paid, and Andrew sat down across from Neil. Neil cocked his head, looking unfairly good in the lighting of the diner. “She seems nice.”

Andrew felt his stomach turning, over and over. He twitched, fidgeting with his sleeve. “We don't have much time.”

“Huh?”

“Neil, your dad. He had recordings of us. Recordings he edited to incriminate us. Dude, he-”

Neil scoffed, loudly. “I don't want to hear about my dad.”

Andrew stared at him.

“If he's trying to pin this on us, you know what he's done with those recordings.”

Neil paled.

Andrew almost growled. “He’s probably-”

“Can't we just…”

Neil pressed his hand to the table, halfway between the two of them. He was looking to Andrew with those damn puppy eyes, his hair perfectly flopping down his scarred forehead.

“Can't we just enjoy our time with each other? And not… y’know, think about this.”

Andrew continued the glare.

“Andy… yes or no?”

Neil’s hand was met by Andrew’s, fingers interlocking.

The diner was small but bright and clean. It was narrow with its long counter, Renee wiping it down, and a kitchen bumped out back. Booths lined the opposite wall, with a doorway where the center booth would be. Andrew looked along the booths, head jutting to the doorway when the bell above the door rang.

A man, heavily built, with a thick puffy raincoat. Face hidden, until he tugged the hood down. Scars decorated his lower face, almost hidden by stubble. He took a seat at the counter and glanced in Andrew’s direction.

His eyes-

Andrew looked back to Neil, nervous.

“What-”

“Nothing. You want to enjoy our time together?”

Renee was now serving the strange man, taking his order.

“Yeah,” replied Neil, confused.

“Then let's enjoy our time together. What do you want to do when this is all over?”

“What’s this?”

Andrew gestured vaguely out the window. “This.”

It had started raining, heavily. A quick shower, Andrew estimated.

“Well… I always wanted a roommate.”

Neil squeezed Andrew’s hand. He was _so_ handsome.

“And I always wanted a cat.”

The auburn haired boy chuckled. “Me too. I always wanted a big fat cat. To take care of. But I never wanted that alone.”

“Let's get cats, then,” offered Andrew. “When we're done here. 

“When we're done, we can do whatever the hell we want.”

“Together?”

Neil nodded. “Mm.”

The rain had stopped, as abruptly as it had started. The glass was pebbled with bright drops. Andrew spotted the police cruisers pulling into the gravel parking lot. They were moving fast and crunched to a stop, their light bars flashing and popping, red and blue glowing in the raindrops, shimmering.

Neil’s gaze snapped to the window like an excited squirrel. He knew the sounds of the sirens well enough. Renee had just plated up their pies, one with vanilla ice cream on the side, one without. She looked out the window too, confused, then she looked to Andrew.

“Did you-?”

Andrew pressed his lips together. "Neil, don't tell them anything okay?"

Neil shook his head. "I- I don't know what to do-"

Two officers entered. One, tall and stocky, with a mustache, the other, short and thin. The shorter one glanced to Neil and nodded to his partner.

Andrew looked to Neil and lowered his voice. "Don't say anything. You're innocent, I'm innocent. We just need to stay silent."

The tall officer walked over. "Neil Josten and Andrew Minyard?"

Andrew glared at Neil and then stood up. "Good afternoon, officers."

"You were the lookouts at Two Forks and Thorofare, ay?"

Andrew simply raised an eyebrow at them.

The shorter one coughed, looking to his partner again. The man by the counter, with his hood pulled up, began flicking a lighter on and off, sparking that tiny flame again and again.

Renee didn't notice the strange man, instead approaching the officers. "Uhm, is there a problem here officers?"

"No problem, we just need these men to come with us."

Neil looked up to Andrew and stood. He didn't want to go. If he went, he could end up trapped in a cell, on his own. Vulnerable. Easy pickings.

"I..."

Andrew touched his arm and then tugged him after him. "Let's go, then."

Neil took a deep breath and closed his eyes.

 

* * *

 

Neil Josten didn't have friends. 

He was a runaway. He didn't have time to make friends.

His mother had always told him two things. One was that he should never bother with people, lest they dare bother with him. More importantly, however, was that he had no time for anything or anyone other than _runningrunningrunning_. 

Neil hadn't been allowed to talk to girls for fear of fraternisation, which was fine- he wasn't interested in girls anyway- but it still hurt to be on a leash most of his life.

Hiding at Palmetto State National Park had helped after she died. It was safe and calm. No more running.

And he met Andrew there. Another runner, just like him. Andrew, with pretty curls and a snarky tone. Was it fated? Who knew.

All they knew was that they didn't want to run anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much for reading.


End file.
